Ship That Hit Baltimore Bridge Also Involved in 2016 Antwerp Accident

The ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early on Tuesday was also involved in an accident in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.

The Antwerp port authorities said the container ship Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016, as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal.

The port authority could give no details about the cause of the accident, but said the ship had remained at the dock for repairs for some time after the incident.

"As a general rule, these accidents are investigated and ships are only allowed to leave after experts have determined it is safe for them to do so," a spokesperson for the Antwerp port told Reuters.

The Belgian nautical committee, which investigates such incidents, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 948-foot MS Dali, owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and managed by Synergy Marine Corp, on Tuesday collided with one of the pillars of the Baltimore bridge.

It was chartered by shipping company Maersk at the time of the incident in Baltimore, the Danish company said in a statement.

Maersk said it could not comment on the incident in Antwerp.

(Reuters - Reporting by Bart Meijer; Additional reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen; Editing by Ros Russell)